Co-Sign & Neuroscience Club Joint Meeting

• Discuss the two clubs and their paths of focus• Alzhiemer’s Overview• Overview of, Neuropathology of older persons

without cognitive impairment from two community-based studies

• Discussion of Alzheimer neuropathology in nondemented aging Keeping mind over matter

• Selected video segments• Develop questions for Nun Study visitor• Election Proposals

Neuroscience Club• The Neuroscience Club is a way to meet new

friends with similar interests and faculty while exploring the growing field of Neuroscience and learning about opportunities present within the University community.

• The Neuroscience Club's intent is to serve the curiosity of those students who are interested in the brain sciences. Weekly meetings revolve around student questions regarding the major's classes, possible research opportunities and related ideas.

Co-Sign• Co-Signs main focus is weekly meeting that bring

students into contact with clinical neurology. During the meeting recent research articles relating to neurology are discussed along with current topics in neurology.

• College Student Interest Group in Neurology (CO-SIGN), brings together college and pre-med students interested in neurology with SIGN chapters, allowing SIGN members to teach, mentor, and lead CO-SIGN members as they explore neurology.

Alzhiemer’s Disease

• Alzheimer's disease is a disease that slowly destroys a person's memory until he or she dies due to forgetting how to perform basic function, such as swallowing or breathing.

• There is no known cause for Alzheimer's disease and even though we are not able to cure it there are medications that can be taken to relieve the patient of some of the symptoms.

• It is named after Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the disease in 1906.

UMN Nun Study• A famous brain study that left the University of

Minnesota nearly 20 years ago has returned. The Nun Study gained worldwide attention for its insights into Alzheimer's disease. More than 600 sisters, many of them from the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Mankato, donated their brains to research upon their deaths. Information gathered from the research has shown that a healthy lifestyle and positive childhood experiences can protect a person from developing debilitating memory loss.

UMN Nun Study

• http://www.mmf.umn.edu/bulletin/2009/spring/msn/alzheimers_nun_study.cfm

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKcbfEbT2aU

Regions of Brain and Corresponding Effects

Limbic System• is affected early in Alzheimer's disease• is involved with memory and emotion• links the lobes of the brain, enabling

them to connect behaviour with memories

• controls emotion and basic needs (such as sleeping and eating)

Changes that may be seen:• difficulty in finding objects and

remembering where they were placed• suspiciousness• irritability, depression or anxiety

Hippocampus And Temporal Lobes• hippocampus: where verbal and visual

memory are processed • temporal lobes: control new learning and

short-term memory

Changes that may be seen:• lapses in short-term memory• inability to retain memory of the recent past• living in the present moment• loss of vocabulary skills• inability to recognize familiar faces, objects or

places

Parietal Lobes• help us put activities in a sequence (such as putting clothes on in the right

order, using tools or performing tasks that require a logical sequence, such as starting and driving a car)

• control our ability to understand spatial information (such as where we are in a specific environment, and where other objects are)

Changes that may be seen:• The problems will vary depending on whether the left or right side of the

brain is affected.• using words incorrectly• difficulty in understanding what others say• speaking in general terms rather than specifically• inability to express thoughts clearly in writing• difficulty handling bank accounts or paying bills• getting lost easily• difficulty putting on clothing• balance and gait difficulties

Occipital Lobe

• controls vision, and the ability to see and combine colors, shapes, angles and movement into meaningful patterns

Changes that may be seen:• Although the occipital lobe is not

usually directly involved in Alzheimer's disease, the surrounding visual areas that allow us to put the elements of vision together can be affected, and this then leads to unusual perceptual difficulties, such as loss of depth vision or inability to see movement.

Lewy Bodies

Build up of abnormal proteins within neurons the decrease function and contribute to major neurological impairement

Beta-Amyloid Plaque

Neurofibrillary Tangles

Neuropathology of older personswithout cognitive impairment from

two community-based studiesD.A. Bennett, MD; J.A. Schneider, MD; Z.

Arvanitakis, MD; J.F. Kelly, MD; N.T. Aggarwal, MD;R.C. Shah, MD; and R.S. Wilson, PhD

Overview• More than 2,000 participants without dementia from Religious Orders Study (ROS)

and Memory and Aging Project (MAP)– ROS- older catholic nuns, priests, and brothers without known dementia– MAP- older community-dwelling persons without known dementia – 134 without cognitive impairment died during the study period and were autopsied

• Participants were given 19 neuropsychological performance tests– Tested; episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, and

visuospaital ability• Autopsies

– Looked for cerebral infarctions and Lewy bodies• Results

– Cerebral infarction present in nearly a quarter of ROS and 15% of MAP– Lewy bodies were 15% and 10% respectively

• Discussion– AD pathology may be associate with subtle cognitive deficits even in persons without MCI– Results also provide evidence in support of the idea that some type of neural reserve can

allow a large number of older persons to tolerate a significant amount of AD pathology without manifesting obvious dementia

Alzheimer neuropathology innondemented aging

Keeping mind over matterCarol F. Lippa, MD; and John C. Morris,

MD

• MCI – mild cognitive impairment– Diagnosis given for individuals who have cognitive

impairment beyond that of their expected age and education

– Relatively new term used to describe the beginning stages of age related cognitive disease

• Alzhiemer’s Neuropathology Criteria– Diffuse amyloid in neocortex– Frequent neurofibrillary tangles in medial temporal

lobe• Episodic Memory Loss– Memory of autobiographical events

• Times, places, associated emitions, contextual knowledge– Medial temporal lobe (hippocampus) and prefrontal

cortex

Discussion Questions

• What were the main points the editorial thought the paper brought forth?

• What were the limitations of the paper, and why are these relevant critiques?

• What would be the next step?

• Limitations – Individuals self report of cognition– Interval of assessment to death absent– No relative interviews performed – NIA-Reagan Neuropathology Criteria • Emphasis on neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary

change– Missing evolution of diffuse plaques

New Group Structure

PresidentTakes effect Spring Semester ‘09

Responsible for– Meeting with Dr. Taylor (advisor and Neurology Faculty) about events and group

progress– Planning bi-weekly events– Directing the coarse of Co-Sign– Writing end the end of year statement outlining activities and member involvement to

AAN Vice President

Elected By Default• Whoever takes second place in votes for president will become VP by default

Responsibilities• Managing website • Keeping the assignments on track• Working closely with President by attending meetings with Sign President and Co-Sign

Advisor when making decisions about events and activitiesTreasurer

– Responsible for keeping track of money spent with excel file– Propose economically viable events that use groups funds to officers

Scribe– Keep track of number of attendees for each event– Summarize each meeting and/or event that Co-Sign is involved in

First and Second Officers– Helps to achieve the plans and events that are planned for Co-Sign by…

• Aid in creating emails for future speakers• Help promote group by publicizing group to classes